Lee's tears at Paris Jackson's 'killer' speech

By Anonymous

Thursday, July 09, 2009

The filmmaker was one of many celebrities who joined Jackson's family, friends and fans at the Staples Center to mourn the late superstar. Lee admits he managed to hold off the tears throughout the emotional ceremony - until 11-year-old Paris stepped forward and addressed the audience in the closing moments of the event.

Fighting back sobs, she told the crowd, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine and I just wanted to say, I love him so much."

Lee, who directed Jackson's They Don't Care About Us music video in 1996, insists no one in the stadium could stop the tears from flowing, and he can't imagine what the singer's three children are going through.

He tells People.com, "How can you even comprehend a young daughter bemoaning the loss of their dear father, their daddy. We know Michael the entertainer, but to her, that's just Daddy.

"That (Paris' speech) was raw. Raw emotion. Nobody had a dry eye. That was a killer."

And Lee is still in awe of Jackson's status as a global icon: "I'm not trying to disrespect anybody, Elvis or Frank Sinatra, but what Michael did globally - there wasn't anybody in the world who did not love Michael Jackson."